Call Me Insane

Last week I admitted I’ve added yet another cat to my furry four-legged menagerie. Crazy? Let’s go with no. Insane? Possibly. I’ll let you be the judge, even though last week I asked you not to judge me. So I guess what I actually am is a hypocrite.

I had hoped my feeble attempt to tug at your heartstrings would win you over so you’d see I’m a regular person who happens to love animals sometimes more than people. Now don’t get me wrong; mostly I think people are fine and dandy. In fact, I’m quite fond of many of them.

But with my cats and dogs, I love pretty much everything about them — how trusting they are, how excited they get greeting me at the door when I’ve only been gone an hour, how they love me unconditionally and follow me around the house like ducklings trailing their mom. I could go on but I’ll spare you.

Continue reading

When I Was Stupid

Okay, so here’s what happened.

Three weeks ago Marin Humane asked me to foster a couple feral kittens. Naturally, I said yes to Trinity and Sturgill. You can foster domestic kittens all you want, I don’t blame you. Domestic kittens are like baby Pandas. What’s not to love?

Continue reading

Life with Little Fur Ballsi

Undeniably adorable Undeniably adorable

For the past 3 weeks I’ve been fostering 2 active kittens until their ringworm disappears. And now I remember why I don’t have kittens. Now don’t get me wrong; I love the little fur balls. They’re undeniably adorable, right? But they’re kittens. And I’d say the operative word in my first sentence is ACTIVE.luck of the drawI don’t know if it’s luck of the draw or what, but of all the kittens I’ve fostered thus far, and these 2 make 84, none of them were quite as rambunctious as the duo I’m currently housing. Of course, most of my fosters are feral so their primary goal in life is to avoid me if at all possible. Domestics, like Mindy and Beau, are a whole other ball game. Continue reading

Animal Rescue — My Cuppa Tea

105I just received my 105th feral foster kitten. I know, crazy, huh? Before I started Marin Friends of Ferals in 2009, I was mostly a dog person. Now don’t get me wrong; I love all animals. But dogs were more my cuppa tea. Or so I thought.

In 2005 I noticed a large colony of unaltered, hungry feral cats on a hillside. I thought — Hey, someone should do something about that. Then I realized I was that someone. So I learned to trap these often nocturnal animals to have them altered and vaccinated.

I’m here to tell ya, this work generally means crawling through bushes, shimmying under decks, wading through creeks, venturing into drainage pipes — all mostly at night by flashlight. In other words, I was made for this. Continue reading